Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, May 07, 1861, Image 2
For liic Yorkville Enquirer.
To the Volunteers from York District.
Gallant Sirs :?Although personally
a stranger to many of you, yet being a friend
to all brave hearts in a good cause, and
knowing the promptness with which you
responded to your country's call, I address
myself to you as such. Since your departure
from amongst us, I have been reflecting
with much solicitude upon the privations,
temptations and dangers to which you are
uow subjected, and supposing that the emotions
with whioh you wero severed from
the endearments of home, may lend interest
to counsel emanating from your own
District, I have conceived the plan of furnishing
you through our mutual friend?
the Enquirer?a series of letters in which
something may be recorded that may cheer,
protect, instruct and benefit you in many
respects. Here let me affirm, that I am not
ignorant of the characters of the men 1 address.
Making every allowance for the variety
that might be expected to exist in
companies gathered from every class and
condition of sooiety, I am still fully conscious
that the virtue, intelligence, wealth,
social status, and descent from an honored
ancestry of York, have a large reDresenta
tion in the troops who have gone from this
District. I will not lose sight of this fact
in anything that may be penned. In the
outset, I declare to you that war, in general,
is a grievous calamity, a catastrophe prolific
in manifold evils. Its origin always implies
sin on one or both parts. See James, iv : 1.
As to the exhaustive occupancy and morbid
wasting excitement of mind which
possess the people; the wide spread paralysis
of business j the decimating of the
population, removing from the country the
flower and strength and hope of society;
the immense expenditure of wealth; the
fearful exposure of health and life, and irreparable
detriment inflicted upon the manners
and morals of the soldiers?accompanied
by a universal prostration of all pious
energies and religious enterprises. In all
these respects war is an unmitigated evil.
And as to an unjust or unauthorized war?
i. e., a war designed to oppress a feeble people,
or wrest from them dear rights, or a
war waged for mere purposes of conquest,
or to avenge imaginary insults and injuries,
or to gratify the ambition of some blood
thirsty spirits?such a war, always and everywhere,
involves the most atrocious wickedness,
and is to be deprecated by all right
minded men. But whilst all this is true,
it does not follow that all wars are for both
parties either sinful, uDjust, or to be opposed.
A contest with arms which involves
self-defence, or preservation of personal,
social and national rights, or vindication of
the insulted honor of the nation, or resistance
to invasion or oppression; such a war
is not only justifiable, but is often a moral
duty which the nation owes itself and the
world. In any such event, where such an
issue is at stake, instead of purchasing peace
at every hazard, or instead of shrinking
back because of the results incident to war,
it is solemnly obligatory upon the nation to
appeal to the arbitrament of the sword, and
at such a crisis, even the faithful soldier of
the cross may exhibit his Christian fidelity
by rallying to the standard of his country.
This position can be established by many
proofs : The natural rights with which the
Creator has endowed all men, and which
they retain when united iuto a nation ; the
evils of suffering the tyraut or oppressor to
satiate his lusts in the subjugation of others
; the beauty, honor and excellence of
a nation valiantly battling for its rights;
and the benefits which history exhibits as
flowing from honorable, just and well aimed
wars, all could be adduced as confirmatory
of a nation's right aud duty to go to war
when its character, honor, property, people
and rights are assailed. But apart from
these lines of proof, the history and lessons
of the wars on record in the Bible shed
light on this subject.
That fully one third of the Old Testament
should be a history of strifes and wars
between nations, and that a majority of all
the prominent characters, whose deeds are
portrayed by inspired prophets and histo)
rians should be warriors, are significant
facts. True it is, that the Bible was written
cotemporaneously with the ages in
which Hercules, Cyrus, Achilies, Agamemnon
and Ajax lived and performed their
wondrous feats, according to history and
mythology; and hence by its record of military
achievements and heroic characters,
only reflected something of the spirit and
characteristics of the age, as might be expected
iu a record so ancient us it. True
it is that God, through the scriptural delineation
of wars and heroes, is teaching the
world that He will punish the sins of every
nation, by employiug their enemies as
Ti!_ a- - - J -i i
iiiB instruments, aim ih snowing nis sovereignty
in elevating one people and degrading
another, in prospering one aud destroying
another. True it is, that these carnal
wars are also typical of that spiritual
warfare which is to be waged by every true
follower of God, with the enemies of his
soul and of God. But it is conceivable
that other designs than these are accom\
!
plished by heroism and wars occupying such
a conspicuous position and so much space
in the inspired record. Can it be successfully
disputed that this fact is a prophecy
of the continuance of wars on earLh as long
as the church and the world are in conflict;
a lesson as to the principles and laws that
shonld govern the warfare of nations, and
as exemplifying the different spirits and
motives and characters of heroes and warriors
? So long as the first Gospel promise
of Eden, announcing the ultimate triumph
of the "seed of the woman"?Christ?over
"the serpent"?Satan?is unfilled, there'
will be conflict between right and wrorfg>
and this conflict will enter every relation of
man, and so, will necessitate national collisions.
Until tyranny and ambition and
national pride, and rebellion against God
and His laws and institutions, shall cease
from among men, war will exist; for God,
and religion, and the good of the world,
forbid that these passions should be unopposed.
As far as religion and civilization
inspire noble thoughts and love of right
and justioe, even to this extent will there
be the disposition and endeavor to resist
oppression and punish the malignant assailant
of others, and war is the great weapon
to be used. In proportion as men are
under the impulse of passion, which in any
case are but partially subdued and sanctified,
so do they need to be taught by historic
example how to act in the emergencies
of war. Hence when one looks upon
the characters of suoh heroes as Moses and
Joshna and David and Gideon and Sampson,
he can see what constitutes the true soldier;
and so, also, when one reads the sad forj
tune and fate of the Pharaoh's, theCanaani
itish Kings, and Saul and Joab, Abner,
Absalom, Amara and other ambitious warriors
of the Bible, he receives a warning against
their spirit and their practice. Such
then, it may be asserted, are some of the
kn flin ovfonoitrn Kiafn. I
lUOLi UUtlUUO auviucu UJ IIUV VAbVUOlfV; umvv j
ry of wars given by the pen of inspiration.
Hence it may be asked, why are this portraiture
of varied facts, this admonition against
one kind of ware and warriors, and
exemplification and commendation of another
kind, or both, given in the Old Testament
? The real and appropriate answer
is that God, foreseeing the prevalence of
ware, thus prepared the necessary warnings
and instructions to guide and control men
and nations.
As an inference to all these facts, and as
a conclusion to this letter, I hope it is evii
dent to you, gentlemen, that the writer is
of the opinion that going to war is no necessary
reflection against a man's greatness,
or moral worth, or Christian character.?
j You may have aud exhibit all these andyet
be in the camp, and ready for the field ?
; The cause that summons you to arms is a
[ just one?one in which you may ask for
God's blessing, and hope for victory. All
j you now need are the proper spirit and the
: proper conduct of a true soldier, and this
will be portrayed in the next letter by
MENTOR.
Ike ifjwMfe ftpim.
YORK VILLE, S. C.
<??>
TUESDAY MOENING, MAY 7, 1861.
! ?K?-Mr. John K. Ai.i.en. Pom Ma?t't at Chester, is our
j authorized agent; and fully empowered to receive money
for this office, and give rrceipts for the same.
I Sny-ln eases where subscribers do not take the Esqi'iRKR
I from tlie post-otlice, Post-Masters are requested to noiify us
I immediately.
| OUR SEMI-WEEKLY.
| As stated in our issue of last week, we
| commence this morning the publication of
: the Enquirer semi-weekly. How long we
; shall continue, will depend upon the state
i of the country. Our object is to furnish
j our readers with the news as early as possi!
ble, and in order to do so, we are willing to
I undergo some additional labor and expense,
i The two semi-weeklies will contain as much
: reading matter as the weekly heretofore,
! with the advantage to our readers of get!
j ting the news earlier and oftener, so that
I they will not be in suspense for a whole
week at one time.
1 The advertisements, will be inserted but
[ once a week?that is, part of themiu Tues~
j day's issue and part in Friday's issue, un
less otherwise specially ordered.
Our terms will remain the same?82 per
year iu advance.
MILITARY ELECTION. .
Au election was held last week iu the
J North Battalion of the 40th Regiment, S.
; C- M., tor Major to command said battalion,
i which resulted in the choice of Oapt. J. H.
I Stewart, by a majority of twenty-six votes.
Shelby, N. C.?From the Mountain
, I
'Eagb: of Friday last, we learn that a barn
,1 belonging to Mr. I). Fronebarger was des!
troyed by fire on the previous Monday. The
fire was the result of accident. The Eagle j
also says :
"The Committee of Vigilance, on Friday
took in bands A. J. Scoggin, and Capt.
J. R. Ferguson, of this ... ity, for certain
written and oral declarations?but the first
was declared as having been written before
Lincoln's Proclamation was received, and
the latter begged off on the score of his
repentance for hasty words he had not intended
or believed. There are others to
come up to the music, but action has not
yet been had on their cases." ?^
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE. S
I
Camp Beauregard, Sullivan's Island, "I
Wednesday Morning, May 1st. J
This day, you know, dear Enquirer, is
sacred to beauty and conviviality. The
"Jaspers," as odd as it may appear, are going
to have a May Party to day. They are
detailed to work on a strong sand-bar cry,
rani man t. nnfl nnmnnnv working
n uiv/u .u? ? v, -? 1 j ceach
day, are throwing up at tho eastern
part of Moultrieville, commanding Maffit's
channel and the landward approaches of
the Island. It is to mount fifteen or twenty
guns; and will be the outpost of our
defences.
One or two unpleasant occurrences have
happened between the volunteers and regulars
here. A regular, an Irishman we believe,
was court-martialed yesterday for disrespect
to a volunteer officer. Neither the
nature of the charge nor the degree of punishment
has transpired ; though it has been
hinted to us, that the regular who was
drinking, cursed the officer, and otherwise
misbehaved to the jeopardizing of even his
life.
There is doubtless liquor on the Island,
and the soldiers who go to Charleston each
day?from 50 to 100 in number?can procure
it there without any trouble. We
coot rmito a Hr>f>np on the heneh the other
W-.,
day. Three men were carrying a fourth.
Mr. Fourth had lost the use of his legs.?
.r:.s whole weight was thrown upon the
arms and shoulders of his comrades, and
I his long-drawn, palsy-stricken strides were
comical enou ,h, if not associated with the
idea of beastly intoxication. He would go
20 or 80 yards and then drop to his knees,
and finally flat upon the ground. His comrades
appeared to be clever gentlemen, and
exerted themselves as busily as ants, to get
the fellow out of disgrace. At last, worried
out, one of them shouldered him, precisely
as he would a slaughtered hog, and
carried him off. He was not of our regiment.
We learn that a man was cut to pieces
near Morris Island by a shark on last Friday.
. On Sunday a little oar boat upset
with some half dozen of the regulars stationed
here. "Nobody hurt." They were j
brought ashore by a smack. As they near- '
ed the beach, fully half the regiment turn j
ed out to see the show.
The Enquirer comes to camp now ; and
is a most welcome visitor. Our volunteers
eagerly read everything they see about
home. '
All well; and uniforming and drilling
onrl inir>rncinfr rnnifllc
"OUR CORPORAL "
Thursday Night, Mny 2d.
Dear Enquirer : In obedience to request,
albeit wo have had a very busy day of it
and would like to sleep now, we sit down at
ten at night to the pleasaot task of writing
to the first number of your Ec.mi- Weekly
issue. To give you an idea of camp-life as
it comes home to our "business and bosom,"
and to forewarn you not to expect too garrulous
and long-drawn-out letters from us hereafter,
we will give you this day's routine,
which is to be our Daily to an unknown
date in the future. v
We rose at 5; at5J drilled 1 hour; then
one hour for sending off the mail of the
"Jaspers;" from 7 J till 0 preparing and
submitting the ".Morning E,eport" of the
Regiment; from 9 to 10, Officers' drill;
from 10$ to 11$, Company drill; from the
latter hour till 2 P. M., for dinner, recreation,
reading the news and writing letters;
2 to 3, company drill again ; 3 to 5 leisure,
reading, chatting, amusement; 5 to 6, regimental
dress-parade; 0 to 8 supper and a
walk, then prayer aud tattoo, and now to
this writing after reading President Davis'
altogether superior and admirable message.
' A quiet rumor reached our cars to-day,
that the military authorities about the Island
arc somewhat apprehensive of the seaward
approach of the enemy. We cannot
credit it, however. We told you in our last
how and wherefore we had slept a night
last week with our shoes on. That excitement
was blown off with the morning sea
breeze. This will follow in its wake. The
fact is we are far quieter here than you
perhaps are in?dear rae !?the dear upcountry.
The Conner, Mercury, Xews,
I'irioit /*rcs*t Moinitai.i Eoylc and Enquirer?and
these few and far between?are
the only papers we have laid eyes on since
we come here. All our news before we get
it, is like our baker's bread, cold and stale ;
and much of it, like some of the biscuits
received from home, is vxouldy.
Appropos of mouldy biscuits and their '
tardy arrivals in camp, we are reminded ot .
a request coming from friends of our volunteers
in your midst, to let them know
how to direct boxes of provisions. The
company to which the "happy recipient"
in prospective belongs, should be specified ;
and the boxes consigned to the caro of G.
W. Williams & Co., Charleston. This enterprising
and courteous firm have kindly
consented to look after these interests of
the regiment in the city.
A little incident?showing the "pluck"
of the "Catawbas"?occured in camp today,
too good not to narrate. A burly,
blustering fellow rode across the line of
ftinir onoomnmonf on/1 n?o a tr?
"halt" by the sentinel on duty at the post. <
This be failed to do, however, and made 1
good his escape. He tried it again; but i
our mountain boys were too hard for him. I
Two of them sprang at him, and deposited :
their bayonets in either side just deep enough
to tickle the ribs; and there he stood
between Scylla and Charybdis, and cried
out like a good fellow for mercy. Imaginehow
his crest fell!
The sand-battery, mentioned in our last,
is progressing finely. It will be about a
half-circle, with salient and re-entrant
angles, like the renowned old revolutionary
"stockade-fort" at Ninety-six; and the
grim "dogs of war" will point their muzzles
from its embrazures in every direction.?
The field before it, for half a mil' * ) the
East (on the water) and to the North and
vrr ?a _ i j\ J. j m - r r
YV est ^uu me iuuuj la cipuaeu , uuu u v vet
Lincoln's hirelings attempt to invade this
Island, it will prove a formidable preventive.
v
We learn this evening that they wish
100 men daily at Fort Moultrie from our
regiment. These garrison duties, together
with the delay unavoidable in uniforming
the "5th." will likely keep us here a month
or so, even if we are invited go to Virgina
at all. If Raymond's very wise and
feasible plan of landing troops at Port Royal
to overrun Charleston and Savannah be adopted
by the much obliged Mr. Lincoln,
of course, we will have our hands full here !
3Ir. Ruffin thinks that the war will end
in six months; for 'we have a commercial bit,
in the mouth of the North, that will restrain
their rage.' This you know, dear Enqiirkr,
has from the first been our opinion.
We notice they are already beginning to
count the cost. One New York paper puts
it down at ?67,200,000, for one year, for
the army alone. They will be sick of soldiering
by the time the new cotton crop
comes in ; and desirous of returning to their
old habits of seeking public protection for
their private enterprises, and swindling
, both public and private in trade.
Yet it is our safety to look at the gloomiest
side of the picture, and be prepared,
both in spirit and resources, to passtbrougn
a long and ruthless war of fanaticism, baffled
cupidity and rage against the upheavals
of now a united and mighty people in defence
of their liberties. This continent,
too, has been so loDg prosperous?there is
such an excess of capital to spend, "higerlaw"
turbulence and lawlessness to curb,
and blood to spill?that it is fearful to contemplate
to what lengths madness and fol:
Iy may go in this unholy warfare.
No one in the regiment is at all seriously
ill. The government feeds us well. Our
leaders are strict, as they should be; there
is consequent good order, and very little
dissatisfaction. The Regiment is somewhat
divided as to going to Virginia. With
some the fever runs pretty high; others prefer
to stay here
We have been garroulous enough in this
letter after all; and so we are
Sub silentio,
OUR CORPORAL.
MERE-MENTION.
The prospectus of the Port/olio has been
received. We will give it a place in our
next issue. An illustrated weekly paper
will soon be established in Charleston,
under able and sufficient auspices.
Ex-president Buchanan has subscribed the
sum of 85,000 for the equipment of volunteers
at Lancaster, Penn. A slave in
T ??'n^nn Virmnin hn<a voluntarily com
JJCAIUgVUU, . * J
I meuced taking up a subscription among his
I colored friends in that place, for the relief
of the families of soldiers who have gone to
| fight the Northern Abolitionists. When
i last heard of, he had raised the sum of one
I hundred dollars. A despatch was received
in Charleston on Thursday last, stating
that the Tennessee Legislature had
passed an Ordinance of Secession by a large
majority. Ad vices from New Orleans
to the 3d instant, state that Col. Von Dorn,
in command of eight hundred Texans, has
j captured at Indianola one hundred United
| States soldiers, under command of Major
i Sibley, who surrendered. The officers are
on parole. Others have been allowed the
option of joining the Confederate army, or
taking au oath not to fight against it.
Major Anderson left Philadelphia on Friday
last, for Washington. The Virginia
Convention has adjourned until the
112th of June. General Butler, com-1
nanding the United States forces at Annap- |H
ilis, says that if the Maryland Legislature Hi
)asses an Ordinance of Secession be will $a8S
irre3t the entire body!" It is now . HE
relieved the first movement by Liocoln will HE
re in the direction of Harper's Ferry.?
rhere arc about five thousand Virginia
;roops there. A gentleman who has >-H|
ust arrived at Richmond from Washington, [?||
law Gen. Scott on Thursday last. General _
Scott says most emphatically that he would Wm
rot invade the seceded States, but that he
ivould retake Harper's Ferry and the forts ?
it every cost. Lincoln is hard pushed for H
provisions for the large body of troops now |j
in Washington, which is estimated at twen- H
iy to twenty-five thonsand. The govrrment
of Boston are offering twenty dol- BbH
lars per month, besides the regular government
pay to volunteers to iovade the South.
So, after all the vaporing about the thousands
who were rising everywhere in the fa
North to <(sustain the government," it seems
that it is the pay that brings out those vol- ||S
unteers. But the money will not last, and 111
when it is exhausted volunteering in the ms
North will be a slow business. The B
cotton and sugar plantations in Louisiana ||B
promise a fine crop, and the wheat crop of |9
Georgia is likely to be a very large one.? B
Wheat in some parts of Georgiais now fully B
headed out, and corn is up and growing well. ||g
On last Friday, the stock of Cot- |a
ton in New Orleans was one hundred and < 'B
five thousand bales. B
The James River is blockaded, and com- I
munication with Norfolk cut off. B
General Houston is out for Texas and the IB
South. He calls upon his fellow-oitizens 1 H
of Texas to respond to Lincoln's order "lay |?
down their arms and disperse," just as
they responded at San Jancinto to Santa
Anna's order to surrender their arms and ^J|
their lives into his hands. Lincoln's
men at Cairo captured a steamboat with |g|
?175,000 worth of armsand ammunition on IB
board for Tennessee. The people of Ten |#
nessee are retaliating by seizing every Cin- H
cinnati boat that passes up the river. ||
A dispatch to the Atlanta Intelligencer, |S
dated Chattanooga, April 27th, says "Andrew
Johnson spoke at Cleveland yester- ||
day, and at Knoxville to day. He said he . I
was in favor of the maintenance of the Federal
Union, he would support the Adminis- ||
tration at Washington, and all his powers |1
would be exerted to bring back the seceded a&
States." There are three women in h
the Rhode Island regiment. Two are dress- IS
ed as bloomers, the other is habited in a . I
blanket. Their hair is cut close to their
scalps. General Beauregard has left
Charleston for Montgomery, in obedience to
a summons to that effect from President Da- I
vis. The nature of bis mission has not trans- |1
pired. The President of the Southern A
Rights Executive Committee of North Ca- ||
rolina, has withdrawn the call for the meet- . fl
ing at Charlotte, on the 20th inst., saying : m ||
"The noble attitude of North Carolina? AEH
the union of sentiment and feeling among
her people, apd the spirit and alacrity with
which they meet the crisis, bespeak a spir- I
it that looks to action only, and not t} pub- J|
lie discussion." Rev. B. M. Palmer, I
formerly of this State, is a private in the ||
"Confederate Guards" of New Orleans.? 1!
In Georgia, two companies are forming, jfe
both commanded by clergymen?one Meth- I
odist, and the other a Baptist. Gov- |g
ernor Brown, of Georgia has issued a proc- ||
tarnation, prohibiting the payment of all I
debts to Northern creditors till the end of -
hostilities, and directing the payment of the J
money into the State Treasury, to be refun- ^
ded with interest, at the end of the war,
to depositors. ji
A private letter from Richmond, Va., J|
states that 90,000 Virginians had volun- ||
tiered to bear arms. So far the authorities ||
had only been able to enroll 62,000. H
On Sunday, the 21st of April, the services
at two of the churches iu Cincinnati were f|
concluded with theair of the Star Spangled
Banner. --Two free men of color residiug
in Vicksburg, named Henry Lee and 5?
William Newman, have each given $250 in
specie to tbo Confederate State Loan, and
Lee has also contributed $25 towards equip- * 1
ping the Sharpshooters. An exohange
says there are sufficient arms in the Southern
States to furnish one million of soldiers.
Besides this there are thought to be two
millions of private arms, which will answer
all practical purposes in case of invasion by
the enemy.
The New Tork Seventh Regiment has
refused to take the oath of allegiance which
Lincoln requires. They refuse to fight against
Virginia or Maryland. Sixteen
well drilled companies of voluteers
and one negro company from Nashville,
To do., have offered their services to the - !
Confederate States. Lincoln has issued
a proclamation declaring martial law f
over Maryland. It divides the State into !
four military districts, thus absorbing her \
sovereignty; and the fifth military district , I
embraces the District of Columbia, including
Alexandria ! Under this order, inoffeosive
citizens were driven from their ' V
families and expelled from the city at the S I
point of the bayonet.
*? I
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